Talk proper ..

I tweeted a photograph yesterday featuring, in the caption, the words "won't be long 'til .." and it pulled me up short. Do people still use 'til as an abbreviation of until or has that, like a lot of things, gone by the board?..

For example, when did it become popular to say there's instead of there are?
There's lots of gold medal winners in Team GB. No, there isn't, there are! ..

I had a note from a young lady this week after she'd seen a photograph I'd taken of a little baby.
"Aw .." she wrote "How cute" .. except Aw was spelt Or ..

And don't get me started on the number of people who start a sentence with "So .."
What has the word So got to do with anything? Still, at least it takes my mind off the number of people who still end a sentence by making their voice go higher at the end???

Talk proper!!!...

Oh, I forgot one. I'll tell you but only if your interested. See what I did there?

The boy who missed Next Year ..

Well, this is all very exciting! I've set a launch date to self-publish the book I've written. I know I'm not exactly in JK Rowling territory but it's now been rejected by the grand total of 28 publishers since April so I've decided to just get it out there on Amazon Kindle and see what happens ..

It's a whopper of a book - currently bobbling along at over 221, 000 words - which is why I've decided I'm going to launch it in two 'sections'. Part One will be available from the 30th of September.

Anyway, for the one or two of you who asked about it when I blogged it before .. you now know the title .. The boy who missed Next Year. It's the fruit of my labours over many a year. I actually had the idea, and began to write it, way back in the early 90s and still have the original typewritten pages, replete with Tippex splodges and lots of scribbling out. I picked up the ropes again about six years ago and it's taken me until now to finally have it ready to hit the world ..

It's an adventure story, aimed at older teens and young adults, although I'd like to think it'll appeal to people of all ages. So, wish me luck and let's go for it.
Fancy putting it on your Christmas list?..

Love will ..

It's a pretty auspicious day .. the Wedding anniversary of Ian and Debbie Curtis. Joy Division and Weddings - two of the themes that feature heavily in my world (You may have noticed!) Well, we all know what a mess being married made of Ian's head, so I'll just skip lightly along this petal-covered path and say what a kick I get to see all 'my couples' tie the knot ..

Just for today, let's balance Ian's brilliant 'Love will tear us apart' with Captain and Tennille's equally worthy 'Love will keep us together' .. I'll bet you've never heard those two songs mentioned in the same sentence before ..

You gotta laugh ..

I was described during last Friday's Wedding as .. The Jim Carrey of Wedding Photography! Man, I like that! And the reason? Well, I do like to entertain my wedding crowds when I'm working, to ensure they have a laugh during their photo-sessions. Not for me the current trend for dour, unsmiling Wedding photography. I can't help it, it's how I am and I've often heard a guest remark to a bride "I didn't realise you'd booked a comedian as well .."

The world is bloody serious place. Only this morning I woke to the news that a favourite singer of mine - Gord Downie of Canadian band The Tragically Hip - has been diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumour and played a farewell concert on Saturday. A sad start to a gloomy, rain-soaked week and all the more reason why I'll never stop trying to put a smile on people's faces ..

I Heart Photography ..

 

 

It's almost 7pm and I've just discovered that today is  .. wait for it .. World Photo Day. I know, I know, there's a flippin' day for everything these .. er .. days, but I'm kinda pleased that the reason I didn't know what today is is because I've been too busy taking photographs!

I've been in Anglesey shooting a fab Wedding all day, and I'm writing this as I sit waiting for my computer to back up all the shots I've taken. One of them was this ..

A fleck of confetti, stuck to my car in the rain ..

Photography for me is all about the eye. If you can see a picture then you're half-way to being a photographer. The other half is the execution. I think my halves, like today's Wedding couple, came together today ..

Cross that bridge ..

I'm preparing to leave on a foreign assignment. Cameras checked, batteries charged, passport at the ready. Ok, the passport's a fib. I'm only going to Anglesey, but that is in Wales, after all ..

Yes, I have a Wedding near the coast there tomorrow - crossing the Menai Straits in a bit of a last-minute 'International Rescue' after a couple were let down by their photographer. As they live Darn Sarf I'm in the unusual situation of not being able to meet either the bride or groom until their Big Day, which adds a little bit of a frisson to the day, as does the fact that it's a completely new venue to me. It's also forecast to pour down all day, but I'll cross that bridge when I come to it ..

And the bridge in the picture? It crosses the River Irwell at The Lowry Hotel. I got everyone from the Wedding to spread out across it whilst I ran down to Bridge Street to get the shot on a telephoto!

Oh, Joy ..

It took me a long time to understand what this phrase means. It's the title of a Joy Division song, tattooed onto the arm of a young guest at Sunday's Wedding, and refers to the heartache of an extra-marital affair. Maybe not the best tattoo to sport at a Wedding, but let's skip lightly along from that! One thing I loved was that this young lady told me she's bought some of my Joy Division t-shirts from Amazon, and intends to buy more as Christmas approaches! After Christmas, of course, is January and my latest news is that, that month, I'll be having another music photography exhibition at Manchester's Piccadilly Records ..

The first lines of this amazing song are "When routine bites hard, and ambitions are low .."

No chance of that with photography. Oh, joy ..

Bottoms up ..

I photographed a £1.3m house the other day and thought I'd done a pretty good job until the estate agent called me back after I'd sent over the shots. Could I go back, they asked, as I'd left the toilet seat up in one of the shots. "What do you expect?" I said .. "I'm a bloke!"..

I happened to go past my old studio the other day. It's full of knickers! It's been taken over by a lady selling lingerie - no comments please - and all the hangers I'd put into the walls to display my photographs are now bedecked with sexy bras and corsets. I knew those hooks would be handy. Bottoms up ..

What friends are for ..

Friends! Word of mouth! Just what a Wedding photographer needs to make his business tick along ..

I once photographed - over the period of about five years - the Weddings of three sisters from one family, the later two obviously seeing me work at the first sister's Wedding. Now I'm on the verge of getting two new bookings Weddings from the friends of one bride I photographed recently. One booking is definite - I'll see you in April, Helen - and the second bride is just trying to juggle her budget having decided she really likes my work. There's no better recommendation than that of your bezzie mate. Cheers, pal .. 

And why not?..

I've see rice thrown at Weddings many a time, but I've never before seen it left in the packet! I'd just finished a 'confetti' shot during this Wedding a couple of weeks ago, and looked down to find an unopened packet of Uncle Ben's basmati rice on the floor. I can only guess that whoever threw it missed, as the bride and groom would certainly have known about that if it had slapped them in the face ..

Traditions play a big part in Wedding ceremonies - something borrowed, something blue and all that -  but one thing that's always a given is that the bridesmaids are always .. erm, women. Well, all that's about to change at a Wedding I have in September. At a meeting with the bride and groom last night they were telling me that one of their bridesmaids will be .. a bloke. He just happens to be a bloke that likes cross-dressing and, next month, his dream of being a bridesmaid will come true.
And why not, eh?.. 

And relax ..

Well, that's another 2,500 frames in the bag! Two great Weddings and a 'works do' in Salford. What a busy weekend. Just got to edit everything now ..

At least I've learnt one thing about photographing Wedding ceremonies in a Mormon Church ..
You can't ..

I was rather disappointed to be told that I wasn't allowed into Friday's ceremony at a 'Latter-Day Saints' Church in Macclesfield. That's only the second ever time I've been told not to take photographs in a church. So, not a lot I could do other than wait for the ceremony to end and head on to Hollin Hall with the couple to start my work. Many congrats to Lucianne and John ..

Sunday's Wedding was as fun as Friday's was formal. Check out Rachel and Brian, hamming it up in the funky stand-alone bath-tubs in the cool Didsbury House Hotel, in South Manchester. What a scream ..

In between the Weddings, a big party at the Imperial War Museum North.
Man, I just love being busy ..

Three day week ..

A busy three days beckons, and there's a first for me today as I'm photographing a Wedding in a Mormon church! I have no idea what to expect, but I'm gearing up for a great ceremony with a reception to follow at Macclesfield's Hollin Hall. After that I'm shooting an event at the Imperial War Museum North and then Sunday sees me at another Wedding, this time at the funky Didsbury House Hotel and its sister venue, Eleven Didsbury Park. We've got bagpipes and a little procession down the street at this one! Variety, eh? I love it..

Up and running ..

Safe to say my new studio space is well and truly up and running after a great photo-shoot yesterday. The lovely Charlotte displayed the patience of a saint as I fussed and faffed about with my lights, trying out the best places to put them and checking out my different modifiers. My new venue is a lot bigger than the old studio I had and oh, the joy of all that space. I was in heaven! Ok, I was in The Village Club in Culcheth but it looks like I'll be there for a long time to come ..

Don't forget, I have an opening offer of a family portrait at just £20, so gizza bell and get a booking arranged toute suite! Meantime, check out a selection of shots from yesterday. Not bad for a 'dress rehearsal', eh?..

In the summertime ..

Saturday's Wedding was incredible! A bloomin' big teepee, pizza and ice-cream vans, orange bow-ties and braces, a ceremony in a community centre in Woodford (The first they've ever held there), a conga as the first dance .. and a field full of tents for the guests to camp in .. it had the lot!

It also had sunshine on and off, too, which is a bit of a novelty at Weddings this summer, I can tell you. Bad weather will never bother a bride and groom, though. I say this to every new couple I talk to. When it's your Wedding Day the weather can do what it wants and you will not be bothered. You will be on Cloud Nine and having a ball .. it's only the poor photographer who'll be running around like the proverbial blue-bummed fly ..

So, don't worry if you're planning a Wedding in summertime. Go for it. What's the worst that can happen? A heat-wave and blinding sunlight? Ah, there's another story ..

But do you like me?..

 A "PR' bod I've been working with lately suggested I get a few more 'Client Recommendations' on my website. Big myself up, get the good word out there and all that. Well, it feels a bit weird to ask but I've sent out a few requests by email .. and now I wait to hear. The thing is that, generally, silence is golden. When a client is happy they just use your shots and - eventually - pay you for your work. There's no thought of a 'Thank you' or a 'Nice work, Martin' and why should there be? The payment is thanks enough but .. but .. it's nice to get the occasional pat on the back. Especially as I'm freelance and have worked on my own since 1982. We are all artists after all, darling ..

I say this after finding a cutting from a 1981 Warrington Guardian, featuring yours truly as a chisel-chinned 21 year old at a Press Awards Ceremony in Manchester. I won some award or other - I'm too old to even bloody remember what - and got presented with something or other to mark the event. It was a nice feeling! Having spent the following 35 years photographing other people's award ceremonies, I'm just hoping I get a good word or two in return ..

Stop Press: My pal Chris, second from the left, who now works for the Financial Times, has just reminded me we won North West Young Journalist/Photographer respectively. Hurrah for us!..

Good God ..

It seems that Wedding photographers' blogs these days consist of nothing but a big show of shots from a Wedding. Where the heck they find time to do all that I'll never know. Plus, they manage to list every supplier, the make of the dress, the style of the shoes, the colour of the bride's lipstick .. the works! I really do need to start turning up at Weddings with a note-book. Until I do, you'll have to make do with a little montage of shots - these were from Saturday's Wedding and yes, I know the shot with me in it has snuck back in .. sorry!

There was a report on the news this morning that the Bishop of Salford is considering the closure of 40 Catholic churches in the area. 40! Having said that, I just checked and I haven't done a Wedding in a church since last December and, as it stands, I only have two at churches for the whole of this year. Can you believe that?  Good God ..

Best foot forward ..

Here's an intriguing photograph for you! I took it last weekend during what will probably be the last shoot at the studio, as I'm now busy taking down all the gear to move it over to its new location ..

The picture will be used at Bent's garden centre near Culcheth as part of a children's adventure game. Not quite sure of the details but I'm looking forward to seeing the shot in situ ..

So yes, the studio is on the move and I am - as they keep saying at Euro 16 - on the front foot.

It's going to be great being based at The Village Club, as I'll be able to work at any time from 9am until 'chucking out time' at 11pm and anyone coming in for a shoot will be able to get refreshments whenever they want ..

Anyway, time for me to hot foot it to Salford. I have a great Wedding tomorrow involving the Tudor grandeur of Ordsall Hall and the stark modernism of the Imperial War Museum North.

A boat trip down the Manchester Ship Canal will connect both venues. I can't wait!..

Cold showers ..

Oh no .. not more showers! Hahaha, see what I did there? A little play on words, reference the Great British Summer, seeing as it's raining again as I write this and I'm bloomin' well fed up with it. Anyway, that's not the subject of today's blog ..

Actually, just to put you in the picture, this shot was taken in Greece on my 6x6 Yashica and was part of an exhibition called 'Trace' at the old Cornerhouse in Manchester. They printed me some postcards featuring the shot and if you'd like one just let me know, 'cos I've got about 5 million of 'em left ..

I told you I'd had some good news. I announced on a Culcheth Facebook page that I was closing my studio and, within about two hours, I'd been phoned by a chap at our local Village Club asking if I'd like to use the facilities there to shoot any future portrait sessions. Would I? You betcha! So, the upshot is that I'll be shipping all my gear across there and will be up and running by the end of this month. I can't wait. People coming in for portraits will now be able to get a coffee or a beer, or something to eat, and make a proper day out of the whole photography experience. How brilliant! In fact, I'm getting so excited I think I'd better go for a cold shower ..    

News just in ..

Firstly, an apology. My email has gone AWOL, so if you've been trying to contact me over the past couple of days you now know why I've not replied ..

I have a long-running, ever-growing collection of photographs that I call 'Social Seen' - basically images that amuse me from functions I've photographed and, last night I was covering the 20th anniversary party of the Chilli Banana restaurant in Wilmslow. These two shots presented themselves as additions very nicely, thank you. Check out the rest here ..

I'm off to the Imperial War Museum today to cover a conference and, funnily enough, I'm back there again on Saturday to photograph a Wedding. In between that, two cracking Euro '16 semi-finals and some fantastic news about my new 'studio' ..

Tell ya tomorrow ..

Strange times ..

A chap who 'reads me' on a regular basis emailed yesterday to say "I love reading your blogs. They are a great lift - just like a daily Giles cartoon" ..

That statement gave me a great lift, as I'd just come back from the funeral of my pal, who died suddenly aged 68. I wasn't feeling at my chirpiest. Thankfully Boris Johnson then provided another reason to be happy by ditching his plan to run for Number Ten, although can I say 'Thanks very much BoJo, for leading us into this sh*t heap and then sodding off"..

However, no sh*t heap on earth is ever going to compare with The Somme. These poppies blossomed, right on cue, in our garden this week and, as I watched the commemoration of 'Zero Hour' this morning - tears rolling down my cheeks - I could only nod my thanks to everyone who fought in the trenches and realise that, whatever happens in Europe from now on, it will never be as bad as it was then ..

You have to have optimism ..